• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ManoReporters.com
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Business and Economy
    • Politics
    • Health
    • Sci-Tech
    • Regional
    • Culture
    Victor Lansana Koroma, Executive Director of Health Alert. Image, Kemo Cham, Mano Communication.

    Sierra Leone: Professional health workforce crucial to safeguard gains in maternal health – Victor Lansana Koroma

    Prof. Foday Sahr, Executive Director of the National Public Health Agency of Sierra Leone at a press briefing on Mpox at the EOC on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Image, Kemo Cham, ManoReporters.

    Sierra Leone invokes public health safety rules to control spiralling Mpox cases

    Osman Abdal Timbo addresses members of the press and supporters of the All Peoples Congress (APC) at the New Brooksfield Hotel in Freetown on Thursday, May 1, 2025. Image, Sulaiman Bun Ibrahim Kamara.

    Sierra Leone: Osman Abdal Timbo joins race for presidency

    Officials say young people can be a critical voice in the fight against mis and disinformation in promoting vaccine uptake. Image, Kemo Cham, ManoReporters.

    African Vaccination Week: Calls for young people to join efforts in promoting vaccination

    Health officials say the strain in transmission in Sierra Leone – clad 2b – has proven more virulent than was expected. Image, Kemo Cham, ManoReporters.

    Mpox: Health authorities worried as clad 2b proves more virulent in Sierra Leone

    Mahmud in the field interviewing. Image, Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen

    ‘Every village has a story’: the Ghanaian journalist walking thousands of miles to give voice to farmers and forgotten communities

    Trending Tags

  • Special Reports
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • True or False
  • Interview
  • ManoReporters TV
  • Tender and Job
  • Election 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Business and Economy
    • Politics
    • Health
    • Sci-Tech
    • Regional
    • Culture
    Victor Lansana Koroma, Executive Director of Health Alert. Image, Kemo Cham, Mano Communication.

    Sierra Leone: Professional health workforce crucial to safeguard gains in maternal health – Victor Lansana Koroma

    Prof. Foday Sahr, Executive Director of the National Public Health Agency of Sierra Leone at a press briefing on Mpox at the EOC on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Image, Kemo Cham, ManoReporters.

    Sierra Leone invokes public health safety rules to control spiralling Mpox cases

    Osman Abdal Timbo addresses members of the press and supporters of the All Peoples Congress (APC) at the New Brooksfield Hotel in Freetown on Thursday, May 1, 2025. Image, Sulaiman Bun Ibrahim Kamara.

    Sierra Leone: Osman Abdal Timbo joins race for presidency

    Officials say young people can be a critical voice in the fight against mis and disinformation in promoting vaccine uptake. Image, Kemo Cham, ManoReporters.

    African Vaccination Week: Calls for young people to join efforts in promoting vaccination

    Health officials say the strain in transmission in Sierra Leone – clad 2b – has proven more virulent than was expected. Image, Kemo Cham, ManoReporters.

    Mpox: Health authorities worried as clad 2b proves more virulent in Sierra Leone

    Mahmud in the field interviewing. Image, Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen

    ‘Every village has a story’: the Ghanaian journalist walking thousands of miles to give voice to farmers and forgotten communities

    Trending Tags

  • Special Reports
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • True or False
  • Interview
  • ManoReporters TV
  • Tender and Job
  • Election 2023
No Result
View All Result
ManoReporters.com
No Result
View All Result

Marginalisation of African CSOs holding back EU-Africa partnership

Kemo Cham by Kemo Cham
February 10, 2022
in News, Politics, Regional
0
Marginalisation of African CSOs holding back EU-Africa partnership

Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, a human rights lawyer and civil society activist, will chair the 15-man committee announced on Wednesday, August 24. Image, Courtesy, Abdulai

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The continued marginalisation of Africa’s Civil Society in the implementation of the Joint Africa and European Union Strategy (JAES) is hindering progress in the partnership, the continent’s CSO representative has said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, Chairperson of the Political Affairs Cluster in the African Union Economic, Social & Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), told a meeting of the continental civil society platform on Wednesday that not only has African CSOs been excluded from important discussions, but that they also lack access to resources and information due to policies of both the African Union and the European Union.

JAES, the blueprint of the EU-Africa partnership, sets out the intention of both continents to move beyond a donor/recipient relationship towards long-term cooperation on jointly identified, mutual and complementary interests.

Launched at the 2007 EU-Africa Summit in Lisbon, the strategy specifically seeks to encourage political leaders on both sides to nourish a people-centred partnership. And as part of this effort, CSOs are supposed to play a major role.

ECOSOCC is an organ of the AU which serves as an advisory body comprising different social and professional groups from the member states. Its purpose is to give civil society organizations a platform to contribute in the AU institutions and decision-making processes. Abdulai, as Chair of the Political Affairs Cluster of the Council, spoke on Engaging Civil Society Effective AU-EU Partnership.

He says that civil society’s role in designing, implementing and monitoring of the implementation of JAES has been limited in scope and involvement, thereby greatly affecting the implementation and outcomes of the program.

“CSOs have continued to be left on the margin even as we enter the post-JAES strategy development process,” Abdulai told the over 200 fellow civil society activists at Wednesday’s meeting.

“There remains an information gap on the part of the African Union on the outcomes of negotiations with the EU despite the fact that the EU has released theirs,” he pointed out.

The civil society platform meeting, which was held virtually, is in preparation of the Africa-EU Summit next week.

ManoReporters learnt that Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio is expected to take a lead in the meeting which takes place from 17 to 18 February in Brussels, Belgium.

Like the rest of its programmes, JAES is expected to role into the AU’s Agenda 2063. And Abdulai says for this to be effective it will require the full involvement of CSOs in achieving programmes like the Africa free trade.

The Sierra Leonean activist said besides the structural inequalities, civil society also has to deal with general lack of funding to engage effectively in the JAES process.

African CSOs, he noted, are required to rely on their EU counterparts for funding on the excuse that they lack the capacity to handle grants, and in the end little funds get to them. He stressed that it’s unacceptable to to give aid to only European CSOs only for their African counterpart to become an “appendage.”

The consequence of that approach, according to Abdulai, is a catalogue of issues that continue to bug the continent which in turn affects Europe, like youth unemployment, drug abuse, crimes and irregular migration.

Abdulai said the lack of economic opportunities have had negative impact on democracy on the continent, whereas citizens see nothing good in popular democracy, which he said partly explains the resurgence of military coups.

“Tackling the youth problems is an AU-EU emergency,” he said. “African civil society can play a pivotal role in this.”

Abdulai’s address also touched on climate change, among other contemporary issues. He called on EU and African leaders to consider investing in education and agriculture as one way of addressing the myriad of problems facing the continent.

But he also said that to invest in education and agriculture, the past approach of ensuring most of the resources go back to the donor country should be discouraged, in favour of the model that measures investment in aid by output and tangible results.

“It is time for AU and EU to take forward the agenda of JAES and to ensure that the approach and implementation are people-centred,” he said, adding: “To achieve a people-centred partnership civil society should be given a more prominent role; a seat on the table and not on the peripheral marginal meetings.”

Next week’s EU-Africa Summit is the sixth edition of the meeting of EU and African leaders, which was first held in 2000 in Kairo, Egypt.

This one comes four years after the last edition in 2017 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Back then the leaders adopted a joint declaration outlining common priorities for the EU-Africa partnership in four strategic areas: economic opportunities for youth; peace and security; mobility and migration; and cooperation on governance.

EU and AU officials say this summit presents a unique opportunity to lay the foundations for a renewed and deeper partnership with the highest political involvement and based on trust and a clear understanding of mutual interests.

Among other issues, the leaders are expected to discuss how both continents can build greater prosperity. 

The aim is to launch an ambitious Africa-Europe Investment Package, taking into account global challenges such as climate change and the current health crisis.

At the heart of the two days discussions will also be promotion of stability and security through a renewed peace and security architecture.

A series of thematic roundtables are also planned on areas including growth financing, health systems and vaccine production, agriculture and sustainable development.

The summit is expected to end with the adoption of a joint declaration on a joint vision for 2030.

Tags: Sierra LeoneCivil SocietyAUSummitEU
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

World Bank Regional Vice President to visit Sierra Leone

Next Post

Interview: Commemorating 20 years of peace in Sierra Leone

Kemo Cham

Kemo Cham

Next Post
Interview: Commemorating 20 years of peace in Sierra Leone

Interview: Commemorating 20 years of peace in Sierra Leone

Stay connected

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
State security forces man a checkpoint at an intersecition between State House and Siaka Steven Street in Freteown. Photo credit, Ishmail Kindama Dumbuya

Breaking: Sierra Leone gov’t says it ‘rebuffed’ attempted break into armory

November 26, 2023
Sarah Van Horne, Public Affairs Officer, US Embassy in Freetown. Photo credit, Courtesy.

Sierra Leone: US considering further actions after visa ban – Embassy spokeswoman

September 1, 2023
Anthrax Outbreak: Sierra Leone records first human cases

Anthrax Outbreak: Sierra Leone records first human cases

May 22, 2022
Former Guinea junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara and the two other close allies of his who are thought to have escaped from prison in Conakry on Saturday, November 4. Image by Guinea News.

Breaking! Guinea: Heavy gunfire reported in Kaloum, around central prison

November 4, 2023
Diabetes: The “Ticking Time Bomb” for Africa! Are we sitting on it?

Diabetes: The “Ticking Time Bomb” for Africa! Are we sitting on it?

0
Sierra Leonean on trial for war crimes in Liberia released

Sierra Leonean on trial for war crimes in Liberia released

0
Sierra Leone, France seek tighter cooperation

Sierra Leone, France seek tighter cooperation

0
Wellington Fire Disaster: Victims Benefit From Fullah Progressive Union Largesse

Wellington Fire Disaster: Victims Benefit From Fullah Progressive Union Largesse

0
Victor Lansana Koroma, Executive Director of Health Alert. Image, Kemo Cham, Mano Communication.

Sierra Leone: Professional health workforce crucial to safeguard gains in maternal health – Victor Lansana Koroma

May 9, 2025
Prof. Foday Sahr, Executive Director of the National Public Health Agency of Sierra Leone at a press briefing on Mpox at the EOC on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Image, Kemo Cham, ManoReporters.

Sierra Leone invokes public health safety rules to control spiralling Mpox cases

May 6, 2025
A deserted Tongay Road Amputee Camp, Pujehun Town, Pujehun District. Photo by Brima Sannoh, ManoReporters, April 25th, 2025.

Sierra Leone: Persons with Disabilities Struggle as Pension Promises Fade

May 3, 2025
A view of Falaba Village, Barri Chiefdom, Pujehun District. Photo by Brima Sannoh, ManoReporters, April 25th, 2025.

Sierra Leone: Child Neglect Undermines Future Generations in Pujehun District

May 2, 2025

Recent News

Victor Lansana Koroma, Executive Director of Health Alert. Image, Kemo Cham, Mano Communication.

Sierra Leone: Professional health workforce crucial to safeguard gains in maternal health – Victor Lansana Koroma

May 9, 2025
Prof. Foday Sahr, Executive Director of the National Public Health Agency of Sierra Leone at a press briefing on Mpox at the EOC on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Image, Kemo Cham, ManoReporters.

Sierra Leone invokes public health safety rules to control spiralling Mpox cases

May 6, 2025
A deserted Tongay Road Amputee Camp, Pujehun Town, Pujehun District. Photo by Brima Sannoh, ManoReporters, April 25th, 2025.

Sierra Leone: Persons with Disabilities Struggle as Pension Promises Fade

May 3, 2025
A view of Falaba Village, Barri Chiefdom, Pujehun District. Photo by Brima Sannoh, ManoReporters, April 25th, 2025.

Sierra Leone: Child Neglect Undermines Future Generations in Pujehun District

May 2, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
Contact

info@manoreporters.com | Freetown, Sierra Leone

Contact

info@manoreporters.com | Freetown, Sierra Leone

© 2022 Powered by Manocommunication.com
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Business and Economy
    • Politics
    • Health
    • Sci-Tech
      • Data
    • Regional
    • Culture
  • Special Reports
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • True or False
  • Interview
  • ManoReporters TV
  • Tender and Job

© 2022 Powered by Manocommunication.com